In particular, Matarazzo said viewers are “going to see a lot more into the lives of how the characters are coping with what’s been going on," before elaborating: “I think [the characters] are all very emotionally scarred. They feel alone because their best friend is back and he’s not acting like their best friend anymore. He’s changed.”

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Wolfhard added: “There are going to be some challenges the characters face that are real; that are disturbing...”

Netflix confirmed season two had been commissioned last summer and, during February's Super Bowl, the streaming giant dropped an official trailer teasing the new season and announcing it will be released on Halloween. Netflix also revealed the nine episode titles (below).

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Episode 1: Madmax

Episode 2: The Boy Who Came Back to Life

Episode 3: The Pumpkin Patch

Episode 4: The Palace

Episode 5: The Storm

Episode 6: The Pollywog

Episode 7: The Secret Cabin

Episode 8: The Brain

Episode 9: The Lost Brother

The show’s official plot synopses reads: “A year after Will’s return, everything seems back to normal...but a darkness lurks just beneath the surface, threatening all of Hawkins.”

Despite this being incredibly vague, the trailer and subsequent interviews with the cast and crew have revealed the start of the season takes place during Halloween (hence why the cast are dressed as Ghostbusters). Co-creator Matt Duffer recently said Will will suffer “from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder,” and Will's mother Joyce (played by Winona Ryder) will have a new love interest while Hopper (David Harbour's character) is trying to keep knowledge of the Upside Down a secret from the town.

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Although the second season is welcome, it's hardly a surprise. Stranger Things was a resounding success and the creators behind Netflix's supernatural homage to 80s cinema had previously said they know where they want to take the show in a second season.

Stranger Things blends influences from 1980s film and television, referencing filmmakers and writers such as Steven Spielberg, David Lynch, and Stephen King as it weaves a tale of missing children, psychic phenomena, and alien encounters. Stranger Things season 2 is said to be inspired by the horror sequels of James Cameron films. After premiering on Netflix on July 15, Stranger Things became an instant hit, praised for evoking the likes of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Firestarter, and The Goonies.

Only eight episodes long, the first season tells a complete story, but it left fans – who have taken to calling themselves 'Strangers' – wanting more.

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With the series largely focused on a small town community, the Duffers previously suggested the second season of Stranger Things would more deeply mine the mythology of that setting, and what the inhabitants have endured. “It's open-ended enough that if people wanted it and Netflix wanted it, we could explore it.”

The Duffer Brothers, who previously wrote and directed tense horror film Hidden, did, however, touch on one problem with coming back for more – the rapidly growing cast of child actors in the show.

“We end [the season] at Christmas,” Matt Duffer said. “We can't pick up again in January. We'd have to skip a year or two because the kids will have grown. I mean, look at them now! We'd have to do it the Harry Potter way.”

Netflix is infamously tight-lipped on its viewing figures, but chief content officer Ted Sarandos is known for saying that subsequent seasons are determined based on a show's buzz.

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To satisfy the longing of many Stranger Things fans, Netflix recently released a virtual reality promo for the show. It is the first VR promo from the streaming giant and takes viewers through a number of iconic scenes from the show. The clip, as with all VR-based content, is best viewed using a dedicated virtual reality headset. However, it doesn't require the computing power of a Samsung Gear or HTC Vive. It can be used on Google Cardboard.

If you don't have a VR headset, the clip can be explored online – either on a desktop or phone – and the mouse or your finger can be used to move around the scene. The total clip lasts around two minutes but is incredibly creepy.